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Faking Miracles
Faking Miracles is the third episode of Season 6 and the overall sixty-sixth episode of The Venture Bros. Plot In flashback, Henchman 21 tells the Monarch the story of how the crime fighter The Blue Morpho first met the original Team Venture. The Monarch refuses to believe that the Blue Morpho (a hero) was his father, but 21 convinces him that it must be true. They debate what to do with Blue Morpho's secret underground lair. In a city park, where Brock and the Venture boys are jogging until Hank catches the sight of the girl he attempted to save a week ago. He runs up to talk with her but is tackled by the girl's bodyguards, who are henchmen of the criminal Wide Wale. The girl orders them off, but Brock intervenes and attacks two of them. The young woman is then escorted home where is revealed that Wide Wale (her father) is hosting a meeting with The Council of 13. Wide Wale has officially become a member of the council and they are now considering of reinstating Dr. Phineas Phage as a member. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch is more focused on her husband not returning her calls until Phantom Limb tells her to focus on important matters. The Council and Wide Wale exchange pleasantries until Wide Wale's daughter Sirena arrives. She rebukes her father's bodyguards for their over-protectiveness and retreats to her room. The surviving henchman from the park gives Wide Wale a report on what occurred (as Brock apparently killed the other two). Back at VenTech Tower, Dr. Venture is in his basement lab with his staff consisting of The Pirate Captain, Pete White and Billy Quizboy. They are wondering what invention of JJ's should they put into production until they discover that most of them have defects (such as a zero-emissions Go-Pod hover vehicle that causes heart murmurs and sterility in rhesus monkeys and does not stop well and crashes easily). Billy breaks a small container holding one of JJ's inventions and the experiment escapes through the vents and implants itself inside of Dean. Dean's scream quickly alerts Brock, who finds Dean shaken but alright. Brock agrees to help Dean study for his college entry exams. Meanwhile the Monarch is contacted by his wife who reminds him that they have been invited to the party that Wide Wale is throwing for his daughter's 18th birthday that night. At first, the Monarch refuses to go, as he wants to find out more about the cave under the house. 21 convinces him to attend so that he can learn who is ahead of him in line to arch Dr.Venture. Monarch agrees to go, ordering 21 to fix up his father's old car so they can use it in the future. At Tophet Tower, Wide Wale is entertaining guests along with his council members. He sees that his daughter is unhappy, and she explains that she didn't want a party. Wide Wale orders her favorite pizza, which always made her smile as child. At the pizzeria, the owner accepts Wide Wale's order and tells his new employee (Hank) to make the delivery and to not screw up as Wide Wale is his best customer. Hank makes the delivery using the Hoverpod to head the build where he is forced to share the elevator with the monarch. He hides his face and goes to the pentheouse where he is recognized by Sirena and her bodyguard, who prepares to attack him causing Hank to flee to other parts of the large penthouse apartment. Back at Wide Wale's party, Dr. Mrs. The Monarch is approached by a villain called CopyCat. She believes that he is flirting with her, but CopyCat claims that he is only interested in joining the Council of 13. The Monarch then arrives and is threatened by Wide Wale for appearing in costume (since his civilian business partners are also in attendance). CopyCat then offers to loan the Monarch a suit from his apartment, which is also in Tophet Tower. As CopyCat and Monarch leave, CopyCat surreptitiously duplicates himself and has one of his duplicates stay at the party. Meanwhile, Dean and Brock are studying in Dean's room. In the lab, Dr. Venture catches Pete and Billy supposedly playing video games, but the two reveal they have discovered a way to control the experiment that slipped out the lab earlier, which was a new type of nano-material that can affect the human body. They demonstrate the uses on a simulator, showing Dr. Venture how the nano-tech can be used to stop and start a heart, stimulate muscles to provide superhuman strength, and activate dormant portions of the brain to increase intelligence. Unbeknownst to them, the nano-tech is affecting Dean. Brock is forced to tranquilize Dean. He then tells Dr. Venture to call Dr. Orpheus, as Brock believes that Dean is possessed. Dr. Venture realizes what has happened to Dean and tells Brock to not worry. CopyCat then steals the Monarch's costume and tranquilizes him. CopyCat goes over to VenTech Tower where he and multiple duplicates assault Sgt. Hatred. He then goes to the Ventures' residential area and vandalizes it, keeping his face away from the window. The duplicate of CopyCat watching through a telescope on the balcony of Wide Wale's apartment shows this to Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, who - along with the other council members - believes this to be the Monarch violating Guild law. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch tries calling her husband. CopyCat (still disguised as the Monarch) ignores the call, which angers her and pleases CopyCat. The Monarch (back in his clothes) regains consciousness outside Tophet Tower just as his wife appears, angry at him for supposedly violating the Guild's laws and ignoring her calls. He tries to argue back, saying that he lost his phone, which then rings. It is Henchman 21 calling to tell him that he got his father's car running. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch angrily takes the Guild limousine leaves, prompting the Monarch to tell 21 to come pick him up. Later, Sirena Ong is in her room watching TV until she hears a noise, it turns out to be Hank who has managed to elude Wide Wale's henchmen. She catches Hank's attention and the two get are able to get properly acquainted. Her bodyguard starts to knock at her door, scaring Hank until Sirena playfully asks Hank if he was not willing to risk his life to go out with her. To her surprise, Hank suddenly jumps off the building just as her bodyguard breaks down her door. Sirena tells him she was getting air, Rocco apologizes for his actions and leaves the room as Sirena looks over the balcony worried. Hank then comes up safe in his Hoverpod asking her "So, do we have a date?" At the end of the episode, Dean has painfully urinated most of the nano material out of his body, but Dr. Venture is revealed to have secretly kept some in his brain for safe keeping. Dr. Venture tells his son that he passed his entry exams, then proudly informs Brock, Pete, and Billy they have just made their first miracle. Episode Cast * [[wikipedia:James_Urbaniak|'James Urbaniak']]: Dr. Venture, Phantom Limb * [[wikipedia:Patrick_Warburton|'Patrick Warburton']]: Brock Samson * [[wikipedia:Michael_Sinterniklaas|'Mike Sinterniklaas']]: Dean Venture * [[Chris McCulloch|'Chris McCulloch']]: Hank Venture, The Monarch, Pete White, Pirate Captain, Sgt. Hatred, Dragoon, Dr. Z, Radical Left, Col. Gentleman, Action Man, Barnacle Badhul * [[wikipedia:Cristin_Milioti|'Cristin Milioti']]: Sirena * [[Doc Hammer|'Doc Hammer']]: Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Henchman 21, Billy Quizboy, Red Mantle * Mark Gagliardi: Rocco * [[wikipedia:Hal_Lublin|'Hal Lublin']]: Wide Wale, Manolo * [[wikipedia:Kate_McKinnon|'Kate McKinnon']]: Redusa * [[wikipedia:Toby_Huss|'Toby Huss']]: CopyCat, Scaramantula * [[wikipedia:Paul_Boocock|'Paul Boocock']]: Jonas Venture Sr. * [[wikipedia:Paul_F._Tompkins|'Paul F. Tompkins']]: The Blue Morpho * [[wikipedia:Steven_Rattazzi|'Steven Rattazzi']]: Vincenzo First Appearances * CopyCat (previously only seen in a promotional photo in All This and Gargantua-2) * Donald Trump * Go-Pod * Nanobots * Vincenzo Birthday Party Attendees Wide Wale throws a party in his penthouse apartment in Tophet Tower, nominally as a celebration for his daughter Sirena's eighteenth birthday, though the attendees are primarily Wide Wale's friends and business associates. Attendees include: * Barnacle Badhul * CopyCat * Donald Trump * Dragoon * Dr. Mrs. The Monarch * Dr. Z * Phantom Limb * Red Mantle * Redusa * Rocco * Sirena Ong * The Monarch * Wide Wale Connections to Other Episodes [[Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean|''Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean]] * After the nanobots enter Dean's body, he asks Brock if Candiru are native to the New York sewer system. This is a reference to [[Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean|''Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean]]. [[Spanakopita!|''Spanakopita!]] * A reference to [[Spanakopita!|''Spanakopita!]] is made when 21 explains that Blue Morpho teamed up with Team Venture in issue 36 of the Doctor Venture comic to fight L. Ron Hubbard, the villain who blew up the original X-2. [[Bot Seeks Bot|''Bot Seeks Bot]] * Members of the Council mention Vendata has gone missing since the events of [[Bot Seeks Bot|''Bot Seeks Bot]]. [[Hostile Makeover|'Hostile Makeover']] *Dean taking college entry exams after deciding to enroll in Stuyvesant University. *Wide Wale has become an official member of The Council of 13 after being offered a position. * Sirena mentions Hank peeping at her through a window. * Hank mentions trying to save Sirena before finding out she possessed gills. * Manolo's truck is still crushed from where Warriana fell on it. [[Maybe No Go|''Maybe No Go]] * Redusa has managed to turn her head back to its original size after it got shrunk in [[Maybe No Go|''Maybe No Go]].'' *The giant hole Wide Wale's men made in the floor of VenTech Tower's lobby is still present. *The copper mask that Sergeant Hatred and Brock let Wide Wale steal can be seen in his penthouse. *The Monarch and Henchman 21 finding a secret lair under their house. *Sergeant Hatred became a security guard in the previous episode. *Billy Quizboy and Pete White now work for Dr. Venture due to selling their company to Augustus St. Cloud who in turn sold it to Venture Techno Industries in the previous episode. *Wide Wale and Barnacle Badhul have survived the polar bear attack from the end of [[Maybe No Go|''Maybe No Go]]. Cultural References [[wikipedia:Aliens_(film)|''Aliens]]' (1986)' * The mech suit Billy and Pete play around in in the lab is a power-loader from the 1986 sequel [[wikipedia:Aliens_(film)|''Aliens]]. [[wikipedia:Back_to_the_Future_Part_II|''Back to the Future Part 2]]' (1989)' * Hank stepping off of Sirena's balcony ledge (to his apparent death, from her perspective) is a reference to Marty McFly doing the same thing in [[wikipedia:Back_to_the_Future_Part_II|''Back to the Future Part 2]]. [[wikipedia:Batman_(TV_series)|''Batman]]' (1966-1968)' * The Blue Morpho's lair, the Morpho Cave, is a parody of the Batcave from the '60s Batman TV series. [[wikipedia:Dean_Martin|'Dean Martin']] * CopyCat's appearance and demeanor is based on "Rat Pack" member Dean Martin.Jackson Publick, [https://www.amazon.com/Go-Team-Venture-Making-Bros/dp/1506704875 ''Go Team Venture!: The Art and Making of The Venture Bros.]'' (2018), p. 297 This is likely where the "cat" comes from in his name, rather than an affiliation with the animal... although "copycat" is a common expression. [[wikipedia:Donald Trump|'Donald Trump']] * One of the guests at Wide Wale's party is businessman and future President of the United States Donald Trump. Wide Wale lives in Penthouse A of Tophet Tower, which is based on Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York. 'Fiat Spider (1966 - 1985)' * While trapped in the giant web in the opening flashback sequence Colonel Gentleman remarks, "Italian spider-bots. If they're engineered anything like your Fiats we've naught to worry about." Fiat Automobiles produced the Fiat Spider between 1966 to 1985. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraftwerk '''Kraftwerk'] * Pete White sings "We are The Robots," a lyric from the 1978 single "The Robots" by German electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk. [[wikipedia:Giacomo Conterno#Production|'Monfortino']] * Scaramantula enjoys a 1947 Monfortino, an exceptional vintage from Italian wine producer Giacomo Conterno. [[wikipedia:Jamie_Madrox|'Multiple Man']] * CopyCat's abilities are similar to those of the Marvel Comics character Multiple Man. [[wikipedia:|'Multiple Santa']]' (The Tick)' * CopyCat's abilities are very similar to those of Multiple Santa from The Tick comics. Venture Bros co-creator Jackson Publick was involved in The Tick and Ben Edlund, creator of The Tick, wrote Venture Bros episode [[¡Viva Los Muertos!|''¡Viva Los Muertos!]] [[wikipedia:Rushmore_(film)|Rushmore]]' (1998)' * The Latin motto seen on Dean's application papers to Stuyvesant University, "''Sic Transit Gloria - Nihil Sanctisne", roughly translates to "Glory fades - Is nothing sacred?" Both Latin phrases were used in the 1998 Wes Anderson film ''Rushmore''. [[wikipedia:Sylvia_Plath|'Sylvia Plath']] * Upon reading his college admission essay, Brock refers to Dean as Sylvia Plath, the American poet whose works contributed to the advancement of confessional poetry, and who committed suicide due to suffering from depression. [[wikipedia:The_Godfather|''The Godfather]]' (1972)' * Wide Wale's reference to a doting father on this, his daughter's special day is a reference to a scene from [[wikipedia:The_Godfather|''The Godfather]]. [[wikipedia:Green_Hornet|'The Green Hornet']] * The Blue Morpho is a parody of fictional masked crime-fighter The Green Hornet . Kano is a parody of The Green Hornet's partner, driver, and valet Kato. [[wikipedia:The_Impossibles_(TV_series)|'The Impossibles']]' (1966) * CopyCat's abilities are similar to those of Multi-Man from the 1966 Hanna-Barbera cartoon show The Impossibles. [[wikipedia:The Nutty Professor|'The Nutty Professor''']] (1963)' * The movie Sirena watches in the penthouse appears to be a parody of the 1963 Jerry Lewis film ''The Nutty Professor. The blonde actress who turns invisible is most likely Stella Stevens, who co-starred in The Nutty Professor and participated in the 1967 videotaped orgy with Jill St. John, Jonas Venture Sr., and Don Fitzcarraldo. [[wikipedia:The_Seven_Year_Itch|''The Seven Year Itch]]' ''(1955)' * The white dress Sirena wears at her eighteenth birthday party resembles the one worn by Marilyn Monroe in the movie ''The Seven Year Itch'' and the corresponding famous flying skirt photo shoot. University of Florida Taser incident * Hank yells "Harpoon tase me bro" parodying the "Don't tase me bro" video of police brutality at the University of Florida. Production Notes *The Animation Direction Supervisor (Kimson Albert) has a "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For Faking Miracles the credit reads Kimson "Robot Water" Albert. Trivia * It is revealed The Monarch's father was a costumed vigilante known as The Blue Morpho who was first introduced in the November 1963 issue of the Doctor Venture comic book. *In the scene where Brock is critiquing his essay, Dean mentions that the learning beds that he and Hank graduated from could be locked from the outside. Goofs *During the opening flashback sequence, the windows on the Morphomobile alternate between opaque and transparent. References Category:Episodes Category:The Venture Bros. episodes Category:Season 6 Category:2016 television episodes